1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to a media feeding device that is used in media processing devices such as check processing devices, printers, scanners, and magnetic reading devices to feed sheet media such as checks and recording paper one sheet at a time.
2. Description of Related Art
In banks and other financial institutions, checks, promissory notes, and other check-like negotiable instruments (collectively referred to as “checks” herein) submitted for payment or processing are loaded into a check processing device to capture an image of the front, read the magnetic ink character line, and sort the checks according to the reading result. As electronic processing of such instruments has become more common, the captured image data and magnetic ink character data is processed by computer, and the check information is managed by computer. A media feeding device that is used to feed sheet media to such check processing devices is taught in Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2009-018892.
In the media feeding device taught in JP-A-2009-018892, the multiple checks inserted to a check insertion unit are delivered into a check feed path by a delivery roller, and a check separation mechanism disposed to the check feed path separates and sequentially feeds the delivered checks one by one to the check transportation path. When the checks are loaded into the check insertion unit, the path is blocked by the check separation mechanism so that the checks are not set in the check insertion unit deeply to the downstream side of the check separation mechanism. As a result, the timing at which the check is passed to the transportation roller on the transportation path side after passing the check separation mechanism is not too early and the checks are not fed at an inconsistent feed rate by the transportation roller before it reaches the constant speed of rotation.
A media separation mechanism is not needed in a media feeding device to which checks are inserted one at a time to the check insertion unit and are fed by the delivery roller into the transportation path. Because the check feed path between the check insertion unit and the check transportation path is therefore always open, there is a danger that a check may be inserted deeply to the check transportation path side when a check is inserted to the check insertion unit. To solve this problem, the check feed path can be blocked so that the checks can be loaded without entering deeply to the check transportation path side, and the check feed path can be opened when a check is fed.
However, the delivery roller and drive source therefor, and a pressure member for pressing the check to the delivery roller and a drive source therefor, are disposed to the check insertion unit and the check feed path. If a mechanism for opening and closing the check feed path is provided in addition to these parts, additional space must be provided to accommodate said mechanism, and the device size may therefore increase. The parts count also increases and device cost therefore increases.